Affinity Communication Solutions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

[ General Questions - Internet Questions - PC Questions ]

General Questions
Q. Will my organization still receive a contribution based on my Internet usage?: A. Yes.
Q. What are my payment options?: A. After the initial shipping and handling fee and the first month are charged to your credit card, you may continue billing your credit card each month or you can be billed on your Affinity invoice.
Q. Can I prepay on a quarterly or annual basis?: A. Unfortunately this is not an option at this time.
Q. How will I be billed?: A. You will receive an Affinity invoice each month. If you are paying by credit card each month, you can still receive an invoice that shows the monthly fee and the monthly credit card payment.
Q. What are the advantages to your products and services?: A. One of the main advantages of Affinity's Communication Solution program is the competitive pricing. For the low monthly fee of $59.95, you receive a state-of-the-art PC, unlimited Internet access, 100 minutes of high-quality long distance, personal customer service and of course, the opportunity to support your favorite organization.
Internet Questions
Q. Can I get Internet only service?: A. Yes. Affinity offers Internet only service as an option for our customers. If you also use Affinity for your long distance needs, the monthly rate is just $19.95 for unlimited Internet access, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Those customers who do not use Affinity for their long distance may sign up for unlimited Internet access for $21.95/month.
Q. Which web browser does Affinity use?: A. You have your choice of Web Browsers. Both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator are available free of charge.
Q. Are there any restrictions to using Affinity Internet Access?: A. No, as long as you have a modem. Your Affinity account will allow you Web page access, E-mail, chat rooms. There are also filters available to screen the web sites accessed by your account. However, these are used at your discretion and expense. Affinity will not be liable for any questionable material accessed by Internet users.
Q. Once I've signed up, how long before I can access the internet?: A. 24-48 hours to get the account activated.
Q. How do I know if the POP # (access #) is local?: A. A list of access #s is available at www.ionet.net/popinfo. If you are not sure which access #s are local, please call your local telephone company to verify. Affinity is not responsible for any charges, including long distance and any other access charges associated with connecting to the service.
Q. What do I do if my e-mail does not work?: A. Verify that you have the correct e-mail address, password and that your modem is connected properly. If you are still having difficulties, please call our technical support at 1-877-653-2264.
Q. How many e-mail accounts do I receive?: A. Two e-mail accounts are included with your Affinity service. Additional e-mail accounts are available for $5.00/ month for each extra account.
Q. How do I set up additional e-mail boxes?: A. After activating your initial account with Affinity, you can add new e-mail addresses by calling our Customer Service Representatives at 1-877-255-8178. There is a charge of $5.00/month for each extra e-mail account.
Q. How do I report down time / outages?: A. Please call our technical support at 1-877-653-2264. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Q. My Internet connection is constantly busy, what should I do?: A. There are certain times of the day that are busier than others on the Internet. At these times, you may experience some difficulties connecting to the Internet because of the high traffic. This can affect all Internet Service Providers. Therefore, we suggest trying to connect early in the morning or in the evening hours. You can also try a different POP # if one is available (some areas have more than one). If you are still having difficulties, please contact our technical support at 1-877-653-2264.
Q. How do I stop junk e-mail?: A. Junk mail, also known as "spam", can be a nuisance. If you do get junk e-mail, don't respond to it as this only encourages more junk mail. Please report any instances of spamming to abuse@affinitycorp.com. Furthermore, any customers that violate the spamming policy, as set forth on the home page, may have their Internet service disconnected without refund. For more information on spamming, please see the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail's (CAUCE) website at www.cauce.org.
Q. How can I protect myself from viruses?: A. To protect from viruses, we discourage downloading or opening any programs, files, or e-mails from unrecognizable sources. Virus scanners are available on the Internet at your own discretion and expense. Your Affinity PC will have the latest version of Norton AntiVirus® preinstalled.
Q. How fast of a connection can I get to the Internet with Affinity?: A. We are currently offering dialup service, of up to 56k. This is the fastest dial-up service currently available. ISDN dial-up is also available in select areas of the country. The actual speed of the connection also depends on such factors as the quality of your phone lines.
Q. Do I get my own web site?: A. Yes. You will be provided with 2 MB for web pages.
Q. How do I change my password?: A. Please contact Affinity Customer Service at 1-877-255-8178.
Q. How do I change my user name or e-mail address?: A. Please contact Affinity Customer Service at 1-877-255-8178.
Q. If I change my e-mail address, will I get the e-mail sent to my old address?: A. No. Once you have changed your e-mail address, your new address is the only place you can receive messages.
Q. What can I do about a slow connection?: A. Please contact our technical support at 1-877-653-2264.
Q. How do I open attachments in my e-mail?: A. When you receive an e-mail attachment, the e-mail message will appear in your in-box with a paperclip attached to it. To open the attachment, click on the attachment and hit the enter key on your keyboard. This will either automatically open the attachment or prompt you to save the attachment to open as a file.
Q. What is a "cookie"?: A. A cookie is a marker created by some Web sites and stored by your browser. They are generally harmless and will not reveal personal information such as your name or email address.
Q. How do I filter out web sites with questionable material?: A. Affinity is not responsible for any obscene or questionable material accessed on the Internet. There are several utilities available to filter out such material. Click here for additional filter information.
Q. How do I tell what web sites have been accessed recently?: A. In Internet Explorer, on the tool bar, there is a button labeled "History". Clicking on this button will bring up all the sites recently visited. If you are using Netscape, Ctrl-H will bring up the recently visited sites.
Q. How do I mark a web site so I can return to it easily?: A. You can bookmark a site by simply pressing CTRL-D once you have accessed the web site. This will add the site to your list of personal favorites (also known as bookmarks) and allow you to return to the web site easily.
Q. How do I know if a site is secure?: A. You can tell that a connection is secure by looking at the bottom of your browser window. Secure connections will display a small, closed lock icon. You may also see an alert message that tells you when you are entering and leaving secure pages.
PC Questions
Q. My PC does not work, what should I do?: A. First, check that all parts of the computer (both the monitor and the actual computer itself) are turned on. Also, verify that all connections, including the modem, are plugged in. If the monitor is black, adjust the bright and contrast settings. If you are still experiencing difficulties, please contact our technical support at 1-877-467-3772.
Q. My PC has not been received yet, when should I expect it?: A. It can take up to 14 days to receive your PC. If it has been longer, please contact Affinity Customer Service at 1-877-255-8178.
Q. Can I purchase more than one package at $59.95?: A. Yes. Additional PCs, without Internet access and the 100 minutes of long distance, are also available for $30.65/month for those customers already taking advantage of Affinity's Communication Solution.
Q. What are the up front costs involved?: A. There is a one-time non-refundable shipping and handling fee of $59.95 in addition to the low monthly fee and any applicable taxes.
Q. What is the difference between a Pentium III, Celeron and an AMD K6-2?: A. The Pentium III and the Celeron are both processors manufactured by Intel. The AMD K6-2 is manufactured by American Micro-Devices. One of the biggest differences between the chips is in the way they handle multimedia. The AMD K6-2 chip, found in your Affinity computer, uses 3-D Now! Technology for multimedia. 3-D Now offers greater graphics and multimedia capabilities than the Intel chips when used with 3-D Now! optimized software.
Q. What are the basic terms of the lease?: A. It is a 36-month lease, $59.95/month, which includes a state-of-the-art PC, unlimited Internet access and 100 minutes of long distance. For further information, please access the complete lease at www.affinitycorp.com or you may request a copy be mailed to you by calling 1-877-255-8128.
Q. What does the warranty cover for my PC?: A. Your 3-year limited warranty covers the hardware originally shipped to you (the computer, monitor, keyboard, speakers, and mouse). Unfortunately, all software and any hardware (i.e. printers) not included in the original shipment is not covered by the warranty. For warranty support, please contact 1-877-653-2264. Click here to view the complete warranty.
Q. Can I upgrade my computer?: A. Yes you may. However, please remember that any upgrades must be done by PDS or it's representatives or the warranty is void.
Q. I am missing parts of my PC. What do I do?: A. Please call our vendor, PDS, immediately at 1-877-467-3772.
Q. What is the 30-day guarantee?: A. If you are not completely satisfied with your new PC, you may return the system, complete with the packaging and materials included in the original shipment for a full refund with no further obligation, excluding any long distance charges.
Q. What types of software are installed on the PC?: A. Your computer will come with Windows 98 installed as the operating system. It will also have Corel's Word Perfect Office Suite 2000 which includes WordPerfect 9, Quattro Pro 9, Presentations 9, CorelCENTRAL 9, Trellix 2, Norton Anti-Virus, Adobe Acrobat and PerfectFit 9. Detailed explanations of the software are available at www.corel.com/office2000/standard.htm.
Q. I already have an Internet provider. I just want the long distance and the PC. Can I do that? What will the costs be?: A. You may use another Internet provider. The cost for the PC plus long distance package is $40.65.
Q. I want to return my PC. Where do I ship it and who pays for the shipping?: A. Please contact Affinity at 1-877-255-8178 for return information.
Q. Who makes the computer?: A. Our vendor is Paragon Development Systems, a company based in Wisconsin with over 10 years experience in the computer industry.
Q. Can I make international calls or calling card calls with my 100 minutes?: A. Unfortunately not. The 100 minutes are for domestic calls only and calling card calls do not apply. However, the minutes will apply to both intrastate and interstate calls.
Q. If I have multiple phone lines, which lines will receive the 100 minutes?: A. The 100 minutes are spread out over all lines.

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